Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)
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LAST UPDATED: 11/23/2015 This page intentionally left blank. Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) PLAN APPROVAL The Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003 requires that the following entities must mutually agree to the final contents of a CWPP: the applicable local government (i.e., counties or cities); the local fire department(s); and the state entity responsible for forest management. The following entities have approved the 2015 Update to the Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan: Agency Signature Date Arizona State Forestry Department United States Forest Service Globe Fire Department Tonto Basin Fire Department Tri-City Fire Department San Carlos Apache Fire Department Final Approval by: Agency Signature Date Gila County Office of Emergency Management Gila County Board of Supervisors Plan Approval i | Page Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) This page intentionally left blank. Plan Approval ii | Page Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) TABLE OF CONTENTS Plan Approval ................................................................................................................................... i Section I: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Section II: Community Assessment ................................................................................................. 9 A. Canyon Fire Department ......................................................................................................... 10 B. City of Globe and Globe Fire Department ............................................................................ 11 C. Hayden Community and the Hayden Fire Department ...................................................... 13 D. San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and the San Carlos Apache Fire Department .... 14 E. The Miami Fire Department ................................................................................................... 15 F. American Red Cross, Northern Arizona Chapter ................................................................. 16 G. Arizona Department of Transportation ................................................................................. 17 H. Arizona Public Service (APS) ................................................................................................... 18 I. Arizona State Forestry Department ....................................................................................... 19 J. Community of Tonto Basin and the Tonto Basin Fire District ............................................ 20 K. Community Emergency Response Team ............................................................................... 22 L. Gila County Office of Emergency Management ................................................................... 23 M. Gila County Public Works Division, Road Maintenance Department ............................... 26 N. Gila County Sheriff’s Office-Globe ......................................................................................... 27 O. Salt River Project ...................................................................................................................... 28 P. Tri-City Fire District .................................................................................................................. 29 Q. United States Forest Service (USFS): Tonto National Forest .............................................. 31 Section III: Community Mitigation Plan ........................................................................................ 38 Section IV: Southern Gila County CWPP Priorities: Action Recommendations and Implementation ............................................................................................................................ 43 Section V: Monitoring Plan ........................................................................................................... 49 Appendix A: Acronyms ................................................................................................................. A-1 Appendix B: Wildland Urban interface “watch-outs!” ................................................................ B-1 Appendix C: Agency updates ....................................................................................................... C-1 Table of Contents iii | Page Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) This page intentionally left blank. Table of Contents iv | Page Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) SECTION I: INTRODUCTION The Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was originally developed in 2010 in response to the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003 for at-risk cities and communities in Southern Gila County, Arizona. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003 points to increased federal emphasis on reducing wildfire hazards on federal lands and promoting actions to protect Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) communities1. HFRA established incentives for communities to develop comprehensive wildfire protection plans in a collaborative, inclusive process. The HFRA legislation also directs the United States Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to address local community priorities in fuel reduction treatments. The cities and communities in Southern Gila County are located around public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tonto National Forest (TNF), and National Park Service (NPS) Tonto National Monument. The HFRA requires federal agencies to collaborate with communities in developing hazardous fuel reduction projects and places a priority on treating areas covered by a CWPP. Completing a CWPP required the development and agreement of local government, local fire departments, and districts, federal agencies, and the state agency responsible for forest management. In Arizona, that state agency is the Arizona State Forestry Division (ASFD). For the initial 2010 CWPP to remain current, Gila County Department of Emergency Management (GCDHES) initiated a process of reviewing and updating the 2010 CWPP. A “Review Team” of key stakeholders was engaged in the spring of 2015 to begin the review and update process. A. Background The 2010 Southern Gila County CWPP was developed by a “Core Team” of members of local fire departments and districts, local governmental agencies, BLM, TNF, NPS, ASFD and interested community members. The Gila County Department of Emergency Management (GCDHES) was designated the lead agency and was responsible for maintaining records and mitigation action results. The 2010 CWPP incorporated all at-risk communities in southern Gila County, and defined and located interface and intermix communities in the planning area. The primary objectives of the 2015 Update to the Southern Gila County CWPP are to: identify any at-risk communities or areas that were not identified in the initial Southern Gila County wildfire assessment, to document changes in community hazards and values at risk, and to recognize community activities related to reducing the threat of wildfire and efforts to improve public and firefighter safety. The CWPP review was completed by a “Review Team” with representatives from several of the Southern Gila County communities identified in the original CWPP. The 1 Terry Haines, Cheryl Renner, Margaret Reams, and James Granskog. The National Wildfire Mitigation Programs Database: State, County, and Local Efforts to Reduce Wildfire Risk. Section I: Introduction 1 | Page Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) “Review Team” also included representatives from local fire departments, government agencies and community groups including Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) The 2015 Review Team met and discussed the goals for fuels treatment projects, potential fire department and agency improvements, and community preparedness recommendations established in 2010. Another critical element for the Review Team was to determine if the fuels treatment and readiness project priorities remained the same as when they were established in 2010. The 2015 Review Team analyzed the reported wildfire ignitions in Southern Gila County and determined that there have been over 1028 reported wildfire ignitions in Southern Gila County CWPP area in the 5-year period following the completion of the Southern Gila County CWPP in 2010. The majority of the ignitions have occurred along roadways and the WUI areas, and were human caused. The second leading source of ignitions is lightning. Major fires have been occurring throughout Arizona with increased frequency following a continual drought and wildland fuel buildup. Major fires that have occurred in Arizona since the 2010 CWPP was written include the Schultz, Horseshoe 2, Monument, Wallow, Gladiator, and Yarnell Hill fires. All but the Yarnell Hill fire were human caused. The Wallow Fire in 2011 is the largest fire in Arizona history and burned over 538,000 acres. The Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013 took the lives of 19 firefighters and caused the loss of 129 homes and structures. The Yarnell Hill Fire was started by lightning. Section I: Introduction 2 | Page Southern Gila County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Map 1. Southern Gila County Fires Since 2010 Recent notable fires in Gila County include the Poco Fire in 2012 north of Young, the Mistake Peak fire in 2012, the Bull